Take time to fully understand and appreciate the true role of others

As a priest quite often I read obituaries during funeral masses in our church.

To cheer myself up I sometimes read t he obituaries i n t he newspapers.

Not just to reassure myself that I am not in them, but because they can be life affirming, celebrating as they do an individual’s life and achievements.

Some time ago I came across the obituary of an actor called Claude Laydu.

He’s French ; so don’t worr y i f you’ve never heard of him.

He i s f a mo u s b e c a u s e h e i s c re di t e d wit h g i v i ng one of t he greatest performance in the history of cinema in Robert Bresson’s 1951 Journal d’un Curé de Campagne (Diary of a Country Priest).

In the film he plays a young priest who is dying.

In order to prepare for the role Laydu spent a whole year living with priests, noting their mannerisms, observing their habits and discipline of life.

At t h e s a me t i me h e f a s t e d severely t o t ake on t he l ook of a dying man.

He so immersed himself in the character of the priest that when the cameras eventually began to roll he was completely convincing and utterly in character.

But despite having spent a year preparing for the role and a year filming it, it wasn’t till he saw the completed film in its entirety that he f i nally realised t he priest he portrayed was a saint.

Focussing only on the details he had missed a wider truth.

In the Gospels Jesus often condemned the religious authorities of his day for failing to see the truth in its entirety.

The chief pr i ests and s cr i bes knew ever y jot and detail of the law, they are experts in the letter of God’s law, but had lost its spirit.

Like the actor who failed to see the saint in the broken and wretched body of the young dying priest, they fail to see power of God at work i n broken l i ves of t ax collectors, prostitutes and sinners who cried to God for mercy.

But Jesus doesn’t.

Shock i ngl y he s ay s t hat t he y tax collectors, public sinners and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.

In saying this Jesus tells us something radical about God; he is the God of Salvation.

A God who wishes to save and heal, not condemn, to bring life not death, fresh starts, not dead ends.

So, in our own dealings with one a not her, i n t he j udgements we make, the opinions we formulate, we s hould be caref ul whom we condemn and dismiss out of hand, because they may be making their way into heaven long before us.